Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Arrow #9 (Web Comic) - A Review

Subtitled Falling, Arrow #9 gives us an detailed look at just how Helena Bertinelli came to turn against her crime-boss father and the chain of events that led to the death of her fiancee.

The script by Beth Schwarz and Katherine Walczak features a lot of nods to the Modern Age Helena Bertinelli from the original comics. We
learn that while she isn't a teacher herself, her fiancee was a teacher and she does love children. It's this love that turns her against
her father, who shows indifference as she tells him about how one of his
underlings is selling drugs to children and one of her fiance's students died as a result. At first, she's content to try and operate with the law in order to get the life she wants, free of her criminal family. But when her information-gathering activities lead to her fiancee's death, Helena decides to take more extreme measures to see justice done.

The artwork by Mico Suayan is perfectly appropriate to the story. The general look is dark but not overly so. The use of inks to shadow and highlight the original pencils is particularly fine, though the caricatures of the actors from the show is a little off-kilter in some panels.

Overall, this is a fine comic and well worth the one-dollar download fee. Though it doesn't present any new information, Falling is still an enjoyable read on it's own merits and the artwork is some of the best we've seen on this title. Highly recommended.